3.0

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
46,389 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #9

Mar 272021

A3

  • 48,500 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and confirmed that the remedy was not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag and the seat belt warning lights were illuminated. The approximate failure mileage was 48,500. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

- Houston,, TX, USA

problem #8

Apr 022021

A3

  • miles
Audi recall #69Z4, NHTSA recall #19V474 the car was under a previous recall for the same problem, which was 'fixed' by dealer sometime in 2019. Currently the car shows airbag is deactivated, the unbuckled seatbelt warning lights and sounds flashes even when the seat is unoccupied. Spoke the Audi of Ontario, ca on several occasions. They refuse to fix the vehicle. Service manager will not return phone calls. This is the second time this component had to be replaced, and the dealer is refusing to repair it. The passenger airbag off light stays on, when the seat is unoccupied, this happens as soon as the vehicle is started. The unfastened seatbelt light, and airbag light remain on while driving. Unfastened seatbelt sounds continue for 2-3 minutes after the car is started, then goes away.

- Barstow, CA, USA

problem #7

Oct 272020

A3

  • 42,000 miles
Car received pods recall fix coded 69Z4 in January 2020. The fix did not solve the annoying and life threatening malfunctionion that leads to Audi presense failure alert and deactivation of the passenger airbag system when a passenger is seated. It would also trigger the error when no passenger was seated, requiring to fasten the seatbelt to an empty seat to get rid of the seatbelt beeps. Car was taken in to Audi dealership October and after an inspection, the issue was found to be the sensor itself this time. The diagnosis report diligently ruled out any problem with the connector and wiring whose fault would mean a potential repair and the inspection would be at no cost to owner. However, like everyone else's complaints owner was presented with a 1,500 dollar quote for replacing the sensor + $250 fee for using their vagcom ("inspection"). the error code was B12251B (mat resistance too high). Audi's internal documents accessed through NHTSA report that "if fault, 'B12251B: Seat occupied recognition sensor mat resistance too high' is stored in the airbag control module, do not diagnose or replace any components for this fault before performing this repair. The 69Z4 topic is not the only cause of this fault. Any diagnosis related to this fault will not be covered under this campaign." Audi openly admits that the scope of the 69Z4 recall and the sensor issue are linked together by virtue of having similar behaviors for the car systems as well as fault codes. However Audi performs the cheaper bandaid out of pocket and expects the owner to pay for the faulty part which should have been part of the recall in the first place. This many complaints about the same behaviour and same part (that is traditionally not your usual wear&and&tear part like a battery) warrant an investigation of the malpractices of Audi in dealing with this recall and its customers.

- Costa Mesa, CA, USA

problem #6

Sep 152020

A3

  • 88,000 miles
While driving the car on a city street, the seat belt warning light came on, a warning came on indicating that the passenger airbag was disconnected, followed by an audible warning. There was an adult passenger in the passenger seat who was properly belted in. Recall "fix" 69Z4 has been applied to the vehicle.

- Mansfield, TX, USA

problem #5

Jul 132020

A3

  • miles
Cat feels unstable when I drive over 70 miles on the freeway.. also seatbelts lock room hard

- Valley Village, CA, USA

problem #4

Jun 262020

A3

  • 58,000 miles
Passenger airbag does not turn on. Warning light is displayed and error safety message is on screen when care is turned on and operating. Additionally seatbelt alarm continues to chime while seatbelt is used.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #3

Apr 012020

A3

  • 80,000 miles
Audi recall campaign 69Z4 was supposed to fix the passenger occupant detection system malfunction by replacing a connector and harness. This has not fixed the issues. Many Audi customers saying the seat belt alarm and warning light still come on. Mine will not shut off until I plug the seat belt back in, but then my airbags turn on and off randomly even if there is an occupant in the passenger seat. This was the cheap fix. Audi acknowledges the issue with the actual pods sensor but makes customers pay $1,200 for the safety fix. This should have been part of the recall. Audi blames mine on the damage to the rear of the car, but the photos pre-date the damage to the rear bumper.

- Savannah, GA, USA

problem #2

Sep 252019

A3

  • 36,000 miles
My car keeps having a safety system fault. There are two errors: 1. the "paasenger airbag off" indicator stays on even when a passenger is in the front passenger seat 2. buckle seatbelt sign is on when there is no passenger I took my car for a recall but it did not fix the issue of the airbag being off! this has been happening for quite some time.

- Marysville, WA, USA

problem #1

Jan 242020

A3

  • 65,000 miles
There was recently a pods recall for the wiring harness going to the occupant detection sensor the recall did not fix the issues for many people. Car will randomly think someone is setting in the passenger seat and activate airbag and cause the seatbelt light to chime constantly while driving causing the air bag to turn on and off. The sensor imbedded in the bottom of the seat is faulty.

- Dolgeville, NY, USA